A question about the Mary Poppins cast recording

In the show there is a nice entre'act which isn't on the cast album. Neither is the act II opening of Cherry Tree Lane. But, I was wondering two things. Now I can understand them not wanting to add all of it due to space on the album and time to record it etc. But, why use the music for Runaway and the beginning of act II on the album. Wouldn't it make more sense as far as the story is concerned to have runaway be after Brimstone like it is in the show and to have the act II section of the CD start with Brimstone?

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then what was the entr'acte on the recording? what does the actual one sound like?

Updated On: 1/18/09 at 09:32 PM

As the lights go down for the second act they play a bit of music. The first few notes that you hear as the lights are dimming are the tune of Practically Perfect. The rest as it was said has dialouge over it which could be the reason why it wasn't recorded. I don't know how many pages the "entre'act really is. I was sitting in the front row last night which is the last time I saw it and it looked to be maybe a page if not that then a tad longer then a page.

******SPOILER ALERT******

The music that is called "Run Away" is actually played when the kids are in fact running away. It takes place right after the first Brimstone and Trecale. When the kids meet and hate Ms. Andrews who was their father's nanny when he was a boy. During thed song Burt is writing in the sky "Welcome" as a message to the returning Mary Poppins. The music stops with the kids bumping into Burt.

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I don't see why they couldn't have taken out the dialoug and just recorded the music that leads up to Cherry Tree Lane as well as that song itself. After all, it isn't uncommon on cast recordings when there normally would be dialoug to either alter it or just cut it altogether.

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The live cast recording is more accurate to what is licensed because it was recorded years after the London cast recording.

The actual entr'acte itself is VERY short, and isnt a tune as such, but vamping. Its the lines "practically perfect in every way" and "we need a nanny who is discipled and stern" repeated several times, with Bert talking over the top. On its own on a cast album, it would sound most strange. Remember it was a single CD cast recording from 2004/5 (pre itunes as we know it!!) , and not one of the newer style with linking dialogue and underscore.

The "Run Away" music has never been used for the entr'acte except for its misleading placement on both cast albums. In the show the "Run Away" music is played in the scene in the second act where Jane and Michael run away.